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7 things to do in Nassfeld, Austria

These past weeks, I’ve been feeling like a robot. The same routine every day: going to work, doing sports, writing university applications, eating, waiting for him to call and not sleeping enough. I’d been having headaches on the daily and my motivation was on its very lowpoint. It was exactly the moment when a travelette knows just what she needs to do: GET THE HELL OUT OF TOWN!

The timing could not have been any better when the invitation came through that I was to join a group of bloggers to go and visit The Falkensteiner wellness hotels in Austria as part of a trip themed “enjoy naturally”. I could not believe my luck! This was exactly what my soul needed! Outdoor activities! Spa treatments! Wellness! Yoga! Good food! It was the call of heaven that I had been waiting for.

One week later I was sitting on the train to the “most wonderful region in Austria” (at least that’s what my dad called it): Kaernten, the most southern state of the country. Now, three amazing days later I am back home feel like a whole new person.

When snow is covering the ground and it is time for après-ski and mulled wine, that’s when ski season starts. Nassfeld in Kärnten is a well-known ski area and attracts many people from Austria, Germany, Italy and Croatia. The area is surrounded by huge mountains, impressive gorges, wide vallyes and is the perfect getaway for nature lovers. During summer there are tons of cool things to do as well and I have taken a moment to list some of the best activities here, all of which can be reached via the millenium gondola of Nassfeld.

1. Race down and don’t look back!

Do you know about those things that are a ton of fun but you feel that you are too old for? Shredding down a luge run for example? When we decided to take a drive on the Summer-Luge Run in Kaernten I was secretly looking forward to it, but tried not to show too much excitement – I put on my ‘cool face’ when I started off, but as soon as bystanders were out of sight, my face turned into a huge grin, I pulled the trigger forward for more speed and tried to lean myself into the curves like I did when I was 12. To make matters worse – I actually made speed-noises when I racing down the hill! But hey, who said that life cannot be a bit of childish fun every once in a while, right? Matthias who had also joined the trip has filmed his adventurous ride through the beautiful landscape (watch the clip here).

The Pendolino-Luge Run which can reach a speed of 40 km/h starts on top of Madritsche Mountain (1919m) and leads 2km down through the beautiful green, flower-filled landscape of Austria. And the price of 5€* to 7€ is not too bad, considering that you can let out your inner child.

*+Card: Tourist information and many hotels give out a so called ‘+Card‘, which has a huge variety of discounts and lots of free attractions

2. You are Tarzan, I am Jane

Back to childhood… since watching Tarzan for the first time I’ve been wanting to do this – fly from tree to tree. It took quite a while until I could fulfil my childhood dream. And it didn’t happen in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by monkeys, but in a climbing park in Austria, surrounded by a lot of other 21st century Tarzan’s and Jane’s that were swinging with racy speed from one tree to another – not including coconut bikinis though.

The ‘Flying Fox Mile’ in Nassfeld has a 480m long flying-fox-track, where you can ‘fly’ from tree to tree and offers 7 additional parcours for pure climbing fun. The only thing you need to get an adrenaline flash is a little bit of courage (it helps not to be too scared of heights also). Prices vary between 14-22€ per climbing session (3hours).

3. “Cheese” please

Cheese – loved by the French, famous in the Netherlands and a symbol for Switzerland. Myself and many others couldn’t live without it! We know cheese comes from cows… but then what? Rudi from the “Tressdorfer show cheesemaking diary” showed us how it gets produced. Visitors are able to get a glimpse into how fresh milk is used to produce yummy alp cheese. Our visit ended with a full plate of the regional, home-made delicacy. Yum!

Okay…. I actually don’t know where to start- there is so much to do here that even I, as sport addict, would find it hard to pick one over the other. For runners, Nordic walkers and hikers there are more than 1.000km of walking, running and health trails, which are well-marked and can be found via Runnersfun. The Aqua Trail is also well-known for the area and lasts approximately 1hour – it starts on top of Madritsche mountain with a lot of different water stations. This is especially great if you have kids.

Aqua Trail

From scenic cycle tours to extreme mountainbiking there is something here for everyone who likes to get out and enjoy the fresh mountain air. Golf fans will find breath-taking golf courses with spectacular panoramas. Hotels, such as the Falkensteiner Spa & Wellness Hotel Carinzia (English: Carinthia) offer free use of equipment and gratis use of the golf-course during the week.

For water lovers there are many beautiful lakes, such as the Pressegersee, as well as many other fun sport activities, such as canyoing, rafting or river tubing.

5. Take a deep breath … and enjoy

I am a huge fan of mountains, as I love the fresh air and the wonderful scenic views (watch my snow panoramas of Switzerland here). It is definitely worth making your way to the top of Madritsche and enjoy the summer atmosphere.

Nassfeld is a winter-paradise with 110km of ski pists and opens its slopes from December to April. The ski area Nassfeld Hermagor offers some breath-taking routes for cross-country-skiing as well.

7. Relax and calm down

After a long day of sports there is just one thing we want to do: relax our muscles and calm down. How does a four-handed massage sound to you? Or a relaxing swim in a beautiful natural swimming pond, including an Austrian mountain panorama? In another post I will provide you with some more information about relaxation, wellness, regional food and my stay at the Spa and Wellness Oasis of Falkensteiner Hotel, which has been absolutely amazing.

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